e about here, don't you?" Anita asked. "It
ought to be easy enough to find."

"That's what we thought before we started," said Grace, "but after you
have been hunting for an hour or two you begin to realize your mistake.
I vote we do something else."

"Grace! And leave the cave?" Amy cried, amazed at her friend's lack of
romantic fervor.

"Why not?" said Grace. "It won't run away. Besides, I guess everybody's
forgotten this is the day we set for the race."

They stared at one another dumbfounded. It was as Grace had said--this
was the day they had decided on for the race and they had forgotten all
about it. Had ever such a thing happened before in the annals of
history? If so, they could not remember it.

"A race?" demanded Anita. "What race?"

Betty looked at her dazedly. "What race?" she repeated. "Why, _the_
race, of course. Oh, I beg your pardon--I forgot you didn't know. The
fact is, we have been planning a swimming race for--oh, ever so
long--and now this gypsy-cave business put it clear out of our heads.
Oh! how could we have forgotten it?"

"Well, it isn't too late yet," said Will, practically. "That is, if you
aren't too set on finding this elusive cave to do anything else."

"Oh, that's safe enough where it is," said Allen. "If we can't find it,
it's a pretty safe bet that nobody else can."

"I vote we get into our bathing suits just as fast as we can," said
Frank. "That is, if our visitors don't mind seeing a crazy race," he
added, half-apologetically; for he remembered his manners just in the
nick of time.

"There's nothing we would like better," Conway assured him heartily.
"And I don't think it will be crazy, either, from the way you fellows
demonstrated your swimming ability the other day."

"Oh, it would be all right if we fellows could be in it alone," said
Roy, wickedly. "But, you see, the girls have a mistaken idea they can
swim, too, and so, just to encourage them, we have let them in on it."

"Let them in on it, indeed!" sniffed Betty. "If I remember correctly, we
were the first to propose the race. That doesn't look as if we were
particularly afraid of getting beaten."

"Sheer nerve, that's all," said Frank, snapping his fingers with an air
of superiority.

"We don't need to talk," said Mollie; "we will _show_ you what we can
do."

"All right, we're from Missouri," Will announced, cheerily. "All we want
is to be shown."

By this time they were well on their way to the bungalow,